February 28, 2005
¡En España!
To Spain!

The phone lines and, therefore, Internet (dial-up ugh!) have been down since I got here, which is why I haven't been able to update sooner.

But, yes, I am now in Spain! I've gotta say, this is a sweet sweet deal. Right now I'm in an apartment with Martina and two other blokes, who just arrived. We get towel and cleaning service, there's a kitchen, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a large living area and a huge balcony, but it's too cold to spend any time on it right now. I just woke up and had to do a double-take because there's this white stuff on the ground and trees... what's that called again? Oh yeah, SNOW!

I've ridden every day, but it has been seriously frio! The roads are just awesome. Within the 30 kilometres between Lloret de Mar and San Feliui, there are apparently over 300 corners (I haven't actually counted). The narrow road just winds along the cliffs above the ocean. Martina told me there's a car rally and hill climb in these parts. It's a bit sketchy sometimes, with cars speeding around corners and into the oncoming lane. Sometimes, the corners are so tight and the buses so big, that they have no choice but to come into the opposite lane. Yikes!

Two days ago , with the arrival of the first "important" guests, the buffet fully began. I have to really watch myself because there are just so many options! For example, a guy will deep-fry you a piece of breaded chicken right in front of your eyes. There's a table full of salads and appys, soup, pasta, breads, fruit and, most importantly, desserts! I had a delectable mocha cheesecake with some sort of toffee crust. Mmmmm.... I will have to take my camera to the buffet soon, to give y'all the real deal (or as close to it as you're gonna get)!

Right now we have some Swiss U23 'kids' staying here.

I've been busy setting up the sport shop for the past week -- unpacking, pricing, organizing, dressing mannequins.... It's pretty much finished now, so hopefully I'll have more time to train and explore. Yesterday I finally made it to the beach, which is only a few hundred metres away! The water looks so blue and inviting, although I know it's COLD! The other day I rode by a long beach near Sant Feliui and there were some nice rollers that looked ideal for body boarding. I might have to check it out some day... when it stops snowing!

Things are getting super multi-lingual around here. I usually speak English with Martina, Swiss with the rest of the guests and Bikeholiday staff (unless they're French-speaking -- then I attempt a mixture of French, German and English) and Spanish with the resort staff.

Right now I'm waiting for my bike to be fixed before we go riding. Two days ago, with over 1.5 hours more of riding to do, my rear derailleur cable snapped and I was forced to ride the rest of the way with only two gears (hardest cog in the back). I got some major big-gear / strength work in!

Oh yes, I nearly forgot... my plan is to have a boy of the week. This week it's Neill!

We acquired him from the sport shop. As nice as his company is, we've had to jump many a time when walking into the room when we thought we were alone.

Sorry the following photos are a bit lame (except the one of Marina, naturally), I promise I'll get out with my camera soon and start taking some good shots.

Adios for the time being!

(Just found out Internet from our rooms costs 4 Euros per 10 minutes!!! And it's slow, dial-up! I obviously need to find another way of connecting, otherwise I'll have a huge bill! I'll have to find a place in Tossa that will allow me to upload / download from my laptop.)